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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. branch — a division
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. chip — for betting
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. shower — rain
  8. pop — music
  9. hand — help
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. shower — to wash
  15. hand — in cards
  16. chip — to eat
  17. pop — to visit
  18. file — a document
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. pop — soda
  22. stand — to bear
  23. file — a tool
  24. trunk — of a tree

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com